


The School

by City_Of_Lights



Category: Original Fiction - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Drama, Gen, Middle School, School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-16 05:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15429555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/City_Of_Lights/pseuds/City_Of_Lights
Summary: A look at the life of some 8th-Grade students attending a middle school.





	1. A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of school for the students of "St. Ceratius Middle Schoole the 2nd".

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine." ~ Mike Murdock

Sleep, School, Home, Sleep, School, Home, Sleep, School, Home.

Josh had memorized this unfortunate downward whirlpool that some may call a 'routine' soon enough, It takes absolutely no time at all getting used to. Anyone could see he was fed up by his tired face alone.

"I believe attending such a shitpile of a school is more a chore than actual learning," Sighed Josh, to his fed-up mother.

"I'm tired of your crap honey, You're 14. That's your life right now. Go to bed," His mother forced out, sternly, unable to look him straight in the eyes from a painful headache, As she trudged out of the room, followed by a concerning turning-off of the lights.

"Another morning is another day for you to shine as a person, Joshy. Get out there and have some fun," His father said joyfully, Patting his son on the back and waving him out of the car.

Josh walked out of the car, Messenger bag over shoulder, lugging him down from pulling weight of textbooks. Peter greeted him with a firm wave from the distance over at the staircase entrance.

"Hey, Man! It's good to see you again after the vacation!" Peter said in a raised and gleeful tone, high-fiving Josh. "We're in Britain, Mate. You can call it a holiday," Josh sighed, glancing over Peter's shoulder at a sea of teenagers waddling around in the school hallways in front of him, being distracted only by Peter.

"I'm sorry, Mate. I visited the USA over the vacation, Was absolutely mad. I have to tell you about it," Peter said, his posture jumping excitedly while managing to not actually jump.

"I honestly believe you, But I'm fucking dead, Can we get inside first?" Josh sighed over, rolling his eyes over towards Peter and beginning to walk inside, An atmosphere of moodiness and grunginess surrounding his every move and word, Practically noticeable from any nearby area.

As the two walked in, They became lost in an ocean of sweaty teenagers, Grabbing books from nearly every corner and running to every single other door. A form of a rush hour in traffic yet recreated with students of the school.

Almost immediately after taking their first step, A grungy, dark voice was heard over the intercom, blasting from every corner; "Good morning, Students of St. Ceratius Middle Schoole the 2nd! I welcome all the 7th graders to their new school and everyone else BACK to this school as we begin a new year, A school-wide assembly will be held at a later date to discuss further details, But your homeroom teachers will be waiting for you in their respective classes. Find the name sheet next to each door to locate your classroom. See you all after lunch!"

This followed by the halls practically being emptied in a matter of seconds, with every single student scuddling over to their respective class.

The two of them walked by to the nearest 8th-grade classroom, Scanning their eyes down the list of names, Before abruptly stopping at 'Josh Blackford'. A short stroll further down with the eyes also revealed Peter. "Haha, mate! We made it! You and I are in the same homeroom, Wanna sit next to each other?" Peter asked, once again retaining his jumpy posture. "I don't really have a choice, Do I, mate?" Josh exclaimed, portraying a gently sarcastic tone with each word.

Josh ran his eyes down the final names of the list, Before stopping at 'Corinne Larsson'. "Oh, Fuck yes". He muttered under his breath. "What was that?" Asked Peter, abruptly turning his head to Josh.

"No, It's nothing mate. Let's just go inside," Josh replied, Nudging Peter through the doorway.

The two entered the room to see a nearly empty class, Few students had already entered and sat down on random chairs, scattered over the classroom. The class was relatively large, Around 20 desks and chairs lined up neatly in a square formation, with the front being occupied by the teacher's desk and a smartboard. At the teacher's desk sat Mrs Ellershaw, "Hey there, Boys. I'm Mrs Ellershaw, your homeroom teacher for the year, but feel free to call me Mrs Eller, Take your seats. We'll begin our first period together with an introductory lesson, Where we all get to know each other. It'll be very fun," She said, her hazel eyes staring down at the two boys.

"What are your names, By the way?" She questioned, Nudging her glasses while grabbing a pen and moving over to the attendance list.

"I-I'm Peter, And this is Josh," Peter said nervously, stuttering ever so slightly and nudging Josh over, Attempting to keep a straight posture.

"Peter...And Josh," She muttered under her breath as she moved the pen across the list to mark each name.

"Got you two, You may sit down now," She said, Putting the pen back down on the desk.

The two walked over to their desks at the back of the classroom, the desks being next to each other. They slumped themselves down and removed their bags, plopping them down on the ground, followed by a heavy sound of textbooks collapsing on the floor.

"Uhh, Josh. I think you might...Have a crush on Corinne Larsson. That girl from last year, You know her," Peter said. "I mean it makes complete sense," He said once again, raising his eyebrows.

Josh's blood began to boil, "Are you fucking serious, Mate? I don't have a crush, All the girls in this school are bitchy as fuck. Nah..." He said, his voice dropping off near the end.

"Well, I'll take your word for it. I guess..." Peter said, glancing back towards the smartboard and sighing in disbelief.

As if by magic, Corinne walked into the classroom, And sat down in front of Josh after talking with Mrs Ellershaw for a minute or two.

"Hey, mate, She's sitting in front of you. She's into you! Go for it if you ask me," Peter said, smirking at Josh once again.

"Ugh. Fuck off," Josh sighed, turning his head to the front.

"Class! I'd like to begin please!" Mrs Ellershaw echoed out in the midst of clapping her hands around so she could get everyone's attention.

After a few seconds, The class settled down like a deflating balloon, And the teacher began to speak.

"Good morning to you all!" The teacher said.

"Good morning," The class echoed back.

"My name is Mrs Ellershaw, But feel free to call me Mrs Eller for short. As you can probably see, I will be your homeroom teacher for the year. So I'd like to get us started by a fun little game so we can all get to know each other," She spoke calmly, yet sternly.

As if from nowhere, A student in the back piped up, "Miss, we're in 8th grade. Can you cut the bullshit introductory games and start teaching us things in preparation for the real world? We really don't need this shit," said the student, Leaning back in his chair.

"What is your name, Mister?" The teacher glared at the student in almost a deathly way, striking fear in him and those nearby.

"K--Kai, Miss," He stuttered, his tone immediately changing from confidence to sheer horror.

"I would rather not send students to the principal's office on the first day of school, So zip it," She said, Crossing her fingers over her mouth. Her tone remained the same, not shouting while still managing to remain strict.

"Anyway, Where was I? Oh right, The game. We're all going to go around, one by one, And say our full name. Followed by what we did during the holiday. I'll start," She said, smiling gently.

"Well, my name, As by now you must already know, Is Mrs Ellershaw. Aaaaaand on the holiday my husband and I travelled to Barbados and we had a great time! Moving on, You in the front." She said, smiling, followed by pointing to a girl in the front of the class.

"W-well, Uhm..." She stuttered.

"Don't be nervous, We're all here on our first day. Nothing to be frightened of." The teacher reassured her, in a calming voice.

"M-my name is Serenda Zanderwitz," She said, speaking quietly in an almost whispery manner.

"A-and on holiday I cleaned up the house..." She whispered, This made a few girls around her giggle politely.

"Well Serena, I'm very happy to meet you. And it's a good thing you're helping your parents clean up the house! Moving on...What about you?" She pointed to another girl sitting next to Seren, "And what's your name?"

"I'm Brooke Emmerson," She said.

"And on holiday I travelled with my family to Japan and we had a lot of fun,"

"That's really cool, Brooke. I've always wanted to go to Japan! You're a very lucky girl, Moving on." She said, smiling gently at her.

This continued throughout the entire classroom, Each and every student announcing their name and something they did on holiday at the point of a finger.

Eventually, she reached Corinne, "Hey there! What's your name?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side and smiling.

"I'm Corinne Larsson," She said, speaking calmly and intelligently.

"And on holiday, My parents and I went to buy new furniture."

"That's cool, Corinne. Where did you buy it all from?" She asked.

"IKEA, Of course." She giggled, as did the rest of the class.

"Very nice, Moving on. You!" Called out the teacher as she pointed towards none other than Pbthelegend.

"My name is Peter Belton," He said.

"And on holiday me and my family travelled to the USA, And it was so much fun. We ate at super fancy restaurants every single day and we went to Las Vegas and we partied all night long---" He said, happily and bubbly, before being cut off by the teacher.

"I'm sure that's all a LOT of fun, But we still have one more student to get to! You, In the corner. What's your name?" The teacher called out once again.

"My name is Josh Blackford," He said, glancing over at the side. The pre-described cloud of moodiness continuing to surround him and released with every word he spoke.

"And what did you do on holiday, Josh?" The teacher asked.

"Well, Nothing," He sighed. This made the entire class burst out into laughter.

"NOTHING?" The teacher smiled, "Well there has to be something, Josh! A cool place you travelled to or a fun thing you did," Said the teacher.

Corinne glanced over at him, giggling into her hand.

"W-well, Unless you consider 'travelling' as going to the bathroom and kitchen then going back to my room, and 'fun thing' as binging Game of Thrones," He sighed. The entire class once again erupted into laughter.

"Anything can be interesting if you MAKE it interesting, Josh," The teacher sighed and forcing her face into a gentle smile.

"Well students, That's everyone. You can all go to lunch, And after the 3rd period we're all off to the assembly hall where Principal Tournier will give his annual opening speech," She said, followed by every student in the class scuttling off to the lunch room.


	2. Lunch Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh and Peter are confronted with a threatening face, And the Principal of the school delivers his annual start-of-year speech.

The school cafeteria quickly filled up with students pouring in from every class, Many lining up towards the lunch-line where they awaited food, While others sat down at lunch tables and pulled out their lunch boxes.

Peter and Josh sat down next to each other at a table closer to the corner of the lunchroom. "Really, Mate? Nothing? You did NOTHING on holiday?" Peter said, grinning, a thought crossing his mind concerning who Josh really is. "Look, mate, What the fuck can I tell you? I didn't do shit on the holiday, No need to get your knickers in a jumble. Calm the fuck down," Josh sighed, staring down into his dull peanut butter sandwich.

As if out of nowhere, Kai walks in and plops himself down on the cafeteria table, parallel to Josh and Peter. A look of disgust and sadness creeps up onto Josh's face, while Peter's portrayed deep confusion.

A loud *brrk* was heard as Kai dropped himself on the table, His eyes darted towards the two of them as they stared in confusion. His anger and frustration filled body was visible by anyone.

"What the fuck do you want, Mate?" Josh asked, glancing down at his food and then back at Kry.

"Come with me," Said Kai, his stare tearing down the walls within Josh's mind and injecting fear into their eyes.

At a nearby table sat Brooke, Corinne and Serena, locked in a discussion as they ate. "Oh my god, There's Kai," Corinne said, her eyes floating over towards Kai, where he walked outside the cafeteria with Josh and Peter. "He's really cute," She said, posture slumping as she dazed off into infinity.

"He looks kind of like my dad," Butted in Serena, Cutting Corinne's daze in two and snapping her out of her fantasy.

"What ever happened to your dad anyway? I haven't seen him in months," Brooke questioned, a raised eyebrow accompanied by a puzzled tone turned towards Serena.

"Let's just say we don't talk much anymore after my parents got divorced. I wouldn't worry about it," Serena said, Almost waving Brooke off with her tone of voice.

Nearing the end of lunch, Another voice on the intercom popped up, with the voice coming from every speaker; "Good morning students! This is Principal Tournier Speaking! Hope you are all enjoying your lunches. Lunch will be ending in about 5 minutes, After which, I'd like you all to go down to the assembly hall for my annual beginning-of-the-year speech. Signing off for now".

As lunch ended, Students exited the lunch room and went down to the assembly hall, Preparing for the principal's speech. "What do you think he'll be talking about?" Brooke asked as the three were walking down the stairs. "I say same bullshit as he talked about last year. Hello students and welcome to the year we wish you the best of luck blah blah blah et cetera," Corinne muttered out, Making a silly face to compliment her patronization. The other two giggled.

Students were flowing into the assembly hall from every door and sitting themselves down in different areas based on homeroom class where they'd be accompanied by their teacher, On white plastic chairs.

"I'd like to begin students. Please take your seats," Spoke the principal into the microphone, Almost every word having a break in between by students shuffling chairs around and talking.

Josh and Peter took their seats next to each other near the back of their area, Only to be noticed by Mrs Ellershaw. "Boys! What on earth happened to you?" The teacher asked, her fearful look truly genuine as she stared into their eyes.

"We fell," They both said, nearly simultaneously.

"I'll be calling your parents immediately to inform them," Sighed Mrs Eller, and picking up her phone.

"We're so fucked, mate," Sighed Joah, his mind racing as the thought of the consequences.

"How exactly are we fucked?" Asked Peter, His sly turn catching Josh off guard.

"My mum sees right through lies, She'll know it wasn't a fall and she'll force me to tell the truth And then Kai's gotten it in for me," He sighed, tearing up slightly.

"And how exactly does that affect me?" Questioned Peter once again, almost oblivious to the despair on Josh's face.

"Shut up, dude," Josh said, his head burrowed down on his lap as he cried.

From behind the two sat Hunter, Who tapped on Josh's shoulder after he heard his weeping.

"I can get you out of this," He whispered past Josh's shoulder, Close enough for Peter to hear.

"How?" sighed Josh, The word piercing through his cry.

"Let's just say I know someone who knows someone who knows someone. Look, Just tell your mum the truth about what happened, I'll take care of the rest," He whispered to Josh, followed by him turning back to the principal to seem normal.

"You're my only lifeline, Please," Josh sighed once again, sniffling throughout. His mind grasping onto this strange person whom he had never met, As he was his last hope of this school year not being ruined. "I never got your name by the way".

"I'm Hunter Danshire, Call me Hunter. I think we have Maths and History together," He said back to him.

"I'm Josh, Nice doing business," Josh said, high-fiving Hunter.

"And I'm Peter Belton, Completely irrelevant. How ya doin', mate?" Peter chuckled with a smile on his face. Josh gave him a friendly slap as they quickly turned around as the principal started his speech.

"Good morning students. My name is Principal Tournier, I welcome you all on this bright day to my annual start-of-year speech. Our school is designed to make you feel safe throughout this year and I wish you all the best of luck in any of your future endeavours. I will now pass the microphone to Deputy Principal Miss Maurel to continue. Thank you," Said the principal, His loud voice bellowing through the hall.

He passed the microphone on to the Deputy Principal, Miss Maurel who was walking on to the stage.

"Morning students. I am your Deputy Principal, Miss Maurel. You may meet me later on in the year. I take care of school matters on a smaller level, If something were to get out of hand, It would move to Principal Tournier. I just want to say..." Her eyes darted over at Josh and Peter for a split second.

"That I hope you all feel safe here. And NEVER feel afraid to tell me or one of your teachers if something is wrong, As it will be dealt with IMMEDIATELY. We care about each and every one of you and we want you all to feel as if we're your parents, keeping you safe and making you feel at home," She said, This entire speech being with her eyes darted towards Josh and Peter, as if she was personally talking to them.

"I do, however, want to emphasize the importance of studying hard. With studying hard, you can go anywhere you want in life. You have reached the point where YOUR life is in YOUR hands! You can choose which path you want to take your life on. Will you be successful? Or will you wind up on the street? That is the everlasting question you should be asking yourselves each and every day..."

"She was staring at us the entire time, Mate," Josh whispered to Peter.

"She has to know," Peter whispered back.

"And that your futures matter to us!" She exclaimed, raising her tone of voice.

"And with that, I would like to finish, You may all return to your homeroom classes in a neat and orderly fashion," She said, putting the microphone down, Followed by the sound of every student leaving the assembly hall.

"Don't you worry about a thing," Hunter said, as he passed Josh by, patting him on the shoulder and winking.

The students hurried into their classrooms, With Peter and Josh entering theirs. Mrs Eller shut the door behind the last few students entering the class.

"After this period, You may all go home. But first, I just want to emphasize the importance that ANYONE caught doing intolerable behaviour will IMMEDIATELY be punished. This further reminds you all of Miss Maurel's speech. If anything happens to you PLEASE tell me! And I will sort it out incredibly fast. Don't stay in silence," The teacher announced to the class, All the while staring entirely at Peter and Josh.

"You may all go home," She announced, followed by each and every student putting their bag over their shoulders and heading out the door.


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh's Mother confronts him about the truth of the incident at school, Peter finds an interesting character in Brooke, And Corinne realizes not all can go her way.

_September 1st,_

_Dear Diary,_

_It was the first day of school today, I didn't enjoy myself. Everyone found out too much. Why does everyone at school have to be all up in your shit all the fucking time? They don't need to know what I did, None of them do. The shit I do over the course of the holiday is my fucking business and they have no right to know, At least I can try pulling this whole charade for a little bit longer until they finally learn the truth. It's only a matter of time before the world that they once knew is about to be changed completely, And the world I knew is only about to get so much fucking better._

_I won't tell you much, diary. Despite my closeness with you, Some things in this world need to be kept secret, even to you. As such, I will leave this entry anonymous. You know that everything I do is only in order to keep you happy, Everything will be revealed to you (and even some to me) in the time that it is appropriate to do so. You know that I love you. At times like this, Sometimes I feel like you're the only person who deserves my love, But sometimes, That's enough. The love that you give me is plenty for me, And I don't need much more. Sooner or later it'll just be me, and you, together. You're the only person on my side, Diary, We're in this together, And as I said, I cannot reveal everything to you now, But it will all come into place when necessary._

_Thank you for listening to me, Diary. I feel like you're the only person who can be transparent with me these days._

_Sorry for the long entry, You're a little tired, And I am too. I'm off to sleep. Good night._

_~???_

Josh and Peter left the School Building, Their heads held in shame to make sure nobody saw their bruises. From behind them, Hunter passed them by and patted Josh on the back, Followed by a quick wink as he ran towards the school parking lot, And hopped into his mother's car.

"I'm counting on that guy," said Josh, as he looked up at Hood, his eyes widening slightly.

"He's probably just going tell the teacher, Mate. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you," Peter said, glancing over at Josh.

"I see my mum, I'll talk to you later, Bye," Josh said, rushing over to the parking lot and silently getting in the car.

He got in the back seat and remained completely silent, A pin drop being audible from the silence. "Hey Honey! Why so quiet back there?" His mother said, Yet to see his bruised face.

"I'm just a little tired mum, I'm fine" He sighed, slumping back onto the car seat, His mind racing at the thought of what his mother will tell him when she sees his face.

His mum peered into the rear-view mirror to see Josh's bruised face leaning on the chair, She gasped and raised her posture suddenly as her eyes widened.

"Josh! What happened to you?" She asked in pure shock.

"I..." He sighed, debating on whether to lie or tell the truth.

He proceeded to tear up, His eyes wearing and his hands shaking.

"A kid beat me up," He cried.

A creepy, yet eerie silence followed these words. Josh knew what he had just said, And his mother was contemplating what to reply.

His mother turned towards him, stopping the car. She peered behind the seat to see her son's injured face, soaked in tears.

"Who did this to you?" She asked, her head tilted as tears welled in her eyes.

He hesitated once again, Before spitting out the name.

"Kai Okostavic," He sobbed.

His mother looked down, her mind in a state of purgatory at the thought of what to do.

"Tomorrow..." She said, pausing.

"I'm going straight to the principal's office and I am echoing this boy's name to Mr Tournier." She said, a single tear running down her cheek.

"Mum, You don't have t-"

"I WILL NOT LET MY SON GET BULLIED AT SCHOOL, JOSH. I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE SAFE. DO NOT TELL ME 'NO'," She shouted, cutting him off completely, More tears falling down her cheek.

"Mum, Please-"

"No, Josh. I am your mother. And I simply cannot rest knowing you are being hurt. I don't care about the consequences but somehow, some way, I will keep you safe. Now let's go home," She sighed, Starting up the car again followed by the sound of the engine running, Slicing the eerie silence of the car in half.

As Peter walked towards the school gate, He felt a slap on the back of his head, Quickly followed by none other than Kai running in front of him, And hopping on his bike.

Peter's face portrayed pure confusion, A puzzled tone accompanied his words "What the hell?" muttered under his breath, Loud enough for Brooke to hear, Who was following him in the distance.

"What happened?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Did you see that? Just slapped the back of my head for no reason," He said, pretending not to know what happened to him.

"What a stupid guy," She replied, Her eyes fully widened.

"I agree. Also, you're Brooke Emmerson, Right? Your face looks familiar. Yeah, we're in homeroom together, You talked about going to Japan with your parents," He said, recalling her every move back in the first period of class.

"You're right on! I've got to go now, See ya!" Brooke smiled gleefully, Waving to Peter in this distance and rushing past the school gate where she got into her mother's car.

"See ya," He said, a gentle smile formed on his face, As he lightly waved to her.

"Yeah. Oh my god, Absolutely girl! Mhm. Yep. Yeah." Corinne said to herself, glancing at the sky while she was on the phone, Walking towards the school gate.

"Oh my god I'm so jealous, I'd love one of those. You got it from Uniqlo? That massive shop in the shopping centre? Oh my god my parents NEVER take me there!" She smiled.

"Ahhhhh no girl you look so cute in it! You should absolutely wear it to school, Just be careful of me since it's so beautiful I might take it," She giggled to herself.

"Listen, I've got to go," She said, waving to her mother in the car in the distance.

"Bye, Serena," She said. Returning her phone to her pocket and running over to her mum.

Corinne hopped into the front seat of the car, To see her mother.

"Hey mum!" She glistened, Strapping her seatbelt on.

"Hey, sweetie," Her mother replied, Putting the car in reverse.

"Listen, I was just talking with my friend Serena on the phone," She smiled.

"Is that the Serena you threw up with on the school trip back in 5th grade and her parents and I had to take you both home because you had food poisoning from the food there?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow.

Corinne sighed in embarrassment, "Yes mum, THAT Serena," She replied, Rolling her eyes.

"ANYWAY, We were talking and she posted this picture of an ADORABLE little beret on Snapchat so I had to call her and ask her where it was from-"

"Corinne, Honey, You know we're really tight on money right now..." Her mother replied, sighing.

"PLEASE, Mum? It's at Uniqlo you know they always have super cheap stuff! And then I won't ask for a birthday present, I swear. Cross my heart and hope to die," She said, beggingly, Putting her hand on her heart.

"I'm sorry, Honey. You know I would get it for you if I could but we all need to save up right now, Once I get my next paycheck from work I promise you I'll buy you TWENTY of those little berets if you want," She replied, Pulling the car out of the parking lot.

Corinne sighed, "Dad would've gotten it for me," She muttered under her breath.

"Well maybe your Dad would still be here if he wasn't out at bars fucking other women under the bar table," She muttered with gritted teeth, Slamming her fists on the steering wheel.

"Mum, You promised you wouldn't talk about that near me," Corinne sighed, tearing up.


	4. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a shocking incident occurs at school, Josh must confront the truth that only he knows, which drifts those closest to him away.

A new morning welcomes new opportunities to become better as a person, or so Josh's parents find the habit of telling him day after day after day following his awakening.

Josh awoke, the deep sting of his cuts dying down yet still remaining from yesterday, the bruises rubbing against the bed sheets feeling sore and burning.

His mother entered the room, turning on a soft lamp by the nightstand. "I'm driving you to school today, Sweetie. I need to have a talk with the principal," She said, in a near whispery tone.

Josh sighed, a quiet "Mhm" heard through his tired vocal chords.

"You'll be coming with me," She continued.

Josh shot up in his bed, his eyes widening immediately and his heart pounding, "NO!" he shouted back in rebellion.

"Sweetie, please... This is important" His mother sighed back, coming over to the bed and sitting down next to him.

"Mum, please don't," sighed Josh, tearing up.

"Honey, trust me, I'll sort things out," She sighed back, stroking his cheek.

"Come on, your dads making flapjacks!" She smiled, nudging Josh up from his bed. He smiled back, wiping a tear fallen from his eye and getting up off his bed.

Josh arrived at school, standing next to his mother on the pavement as the two walked into the building, taking a left and going up two flights of stairs before reaching the principal's office.

Josh's mother knocked on the door, followed by the principal opening the door cautiously, to which the two walked in, an air of caution and slight worry surrounding the situation.

"Hello, Principal Tournier. I'm Mina Blackford, Josh's mother. I'm sure you've noticed that my son has been bruised very badly by a student at your school, and I'm willing to do everything in my power to make sure the aforementioned student is expelled," She sighed, sitting herself down on the principal's desk and staring him dead in the eyes, a mood of frustration visible on her face.

The principal kept silent for a matter of seconds, taking the time to comprehend what was just said to him, before replying, "And who would this bully be?".

"Say it, Josh," Josh's mother replied, nudging him over.

"K-Kai Okostavic, Mr Tournier," Josh replied, staring up at him.

A pin-drop silence was created in the room merely seconds after Josh spoke up, shaking a sense of worry into him.

"I'm very sorry to say it but..." The principal paused, his eyes welling up.

"8th-grade student, Kai Okostavic..." He paused once again, a tear falling down his cheek. He removed his glasses and shut his eyes for a second as if to gain a moment of clarity.

"He,"

"He is unfortunately no longer with us, Mrs Blackford,"

Josh's eyes widened, his shivering body visible throughout the entire room. "Oh my god," He muttered under his breath.

"He passed away yesterday, following the end of the school day."

"We were planning to send an announcement throughout the classrooms today during the first period, and hold a school-wide assembly regarding his death later during the day," The principal added.

"Oh, well, that is very unfortunate. But it does mean that this will never happen again," Josh's Mother said, glancing off to the side and standing up off her chair.

"Indeed, goodbye Mrs Blackford," The principal said, waving her out.

His mother walked out of the room, leaving Josh behind in front of the principal. He stood up to leave, yet the principal stopped him as he walked out.

"Josh, wait," He said, as Josh sat back down.

"Do you.."

"Know who did this?" The principal said, looking him in the eyes, a slight tone of hopefulness running over him.

Josh paused, a sense of hesitation running over him. "No, I'm sorry, Mr Tournier," He replied, softly. his mind currently in a state of conflict, not knowing what to do.

"Alright, you may go," The principal replied, Josh walked out of the office, a gentle sigh heard by the principal.

He ran into Peter on his way to the classroom, "Mate, did you hear what happened to Kai? He flipping died after school yesterday," He said, stopping Josh in his tracks.

"Yeah, mate, I know," replied Josh, attempting to walk past him, his hesitant and rushed mood arising suspicion in Pb's mind.

"You seem a little off today, mate, is everything alright?" Peter asked, grabbing Josh's shoulder abruptly.

"Look, mate, everything's fine. Are you going to keep asking me questions?" Josh replied, frustratingly, once again attempting to walk past Peter.

"I'm serious, if you don't tell me what's wrong then I can't do anything about it. Are you SURE you're fi--"

"I'M FUCKING FINE, ALRIGHT PETER? GET OFF MY FUCKING SHIT AND LEAVE ME ALONE," Josh abruptly shouted back at him, storming off and leaving Peter speechless.

Edward walked by the hallway to see him storming off, Peter visually saddened and nearly offended by the exchange.

"What happened there?" Edward asked, a confused tone pointed towards Pb.

"I..."

"I need to find out," Peter replied, barely glancing back at him and rushing to where City was.

Josh was found in the back of the homeroom class, his head buried in his crossed arms.

"What is wrong with you?" Peter asked, patting Josh on the back.

No reply was heard, simply the quiet of the classroom.

"Josh,"

"Tell me what's wrong, mate,"

"I need some time to think, I'm sorry, Peter," he replied, quietly, his voice muffled and barely audible from the fabric of his shirt.

"You can't even tell your best friend what's wrong," Peter said, glancing off to the side and sighing, a cold and distant tone surrounding him.

"Peter, I know we're best friends but right now, after what happened, I need some fucking space," Josh replied.

"And you know what I really fucking need right now? I need you to get off my ass. Just for a little bit. To get off my fucking ass for a while..."

"Is that too much to ask for, Peter? Hm? Is it?"

"Can you do that for me, mate? Can you get off my fucking shit?"

No reply was heard, Peter stared at him and walked out of the classroom.

Dread cloaked itself over Josh, the thought of needing to confront who he knew was the murderer.

Serena and Corinne walked into the classroom, Noticing Josh's presence.

Corinne sat down infront of him and went on her phone, pretending to be oblivious to him, while Serena walked over to him.

"City, is everything alright?" she asked, quietly.

"Everything is fine, Serena." answered Josh, sighing.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" She asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It's nothing, really. I'm just having an internal conflict right now and someone is just not understanding me," He answered, sighing once again.

"I know how you feel, Josh," she replied, walking away and sitting down next to Corine.

More students walked into the classroom, As did Mrs Ellershaw, "Alright class, settle down. I have some important announcements to make but I first need to take attendance," She said, sternly, speaking up to the whole class, her voice bellowing throughout the room.

Peter moved himself 2 desks away from Josh, next to where Kai originally sat. He stared at him, his eyes bloodshot from tears. Josh resisted staring back but knew he was there from his peripherals.

"Class, I'm sure some of you heard, But to our deep dismay, our fellow student Kai Okostavic has passed away." The teacher announced, many students talked after her between themselves.

"Settle down, class. During the 4th period we will be going down to the assembly all where the principal will discuss the matter in more detail," She said, settling the students down.

"We do not know the cause of his death, But we believe it was a murder yesterday after school. We teamed up with the local city police and are doing everything in our power to find out who did it. There is also one student I would like to speak with following attendance".


	5. Confronation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh confronts the truth with who he thinks is the murderer as Peter slowly moves further away from those he trusts.

The teacher marked attendance, her pen flowing down and ticking each box next to the corresponding student's name, casually glancing over Kai, she darted her eyes off to the side as she moved over him as if to gain a moment of clarity from the ordeal.

As the bell rang, students flowed out of the classroom through the door like water through a pipe. The teacher stopped Josh, grabbing his shoulder, a look in her eyes creating pure despair that washed through her. "Josh, please stay here for a minute. I need to talk to you," she said, calmly.

Josh walked over towards the teacher's desk cautiously, internally curling up into a ball at the situation. "Sit down," she said.

"I was talking with your friend Peter outside before the lesson began and he told me you were acting a little strange. Is everything alright?" She said, placing her hand on Josh's as if to bring him a sense of comfort.

"Y-yeah, everything's alright, Mrs Ellershaw," he replied, retaining the cautious tone, tripping over his words slightly.

"Alright, honey. I'll let you go to your lesson," said the teacher, her soft-spoken voice embracing Josh emotionally as the two looked at each other.

"But just so you know, if there's anything at all you're finding difficult or you're upset about something in any way at all, you can always talk to me," she said, smiling gently, a warm glow radiating from her smile.

"Okay, thanks, Mrs Ellershaw," Josh said, smiling back politely before getting up and walking out of the classroom almost impatiently.

Peter was seen distant in the hallway, his side pressed against the wall, his head held down, holding his books as he stood there in pause.

Josh stormed up to him and stared him in the eyes, his stare glued to Peter's. 

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" he screamed in his face.

"I'm sorry I--" Peter sighed, tearing up.

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A FUCKING JOKE?" Josh screamed back.

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? TELLING THE TEACHER WITHOUT EVEN SAYING A FUCKING WORD. DO YOU THINK THIS MAKES ME FEEL ANY BETTER?"

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO TH--" his screams were abruptly cut off by Peter screaming back.

"MAYBE BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU, JOSH,"

"MAYBE BECAUSE I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU'RE ACTING WEIRD LIKE THIS I GET FUCKING SCARED," Peter screamed back, tears flowing from his eyes, filled with rage and built-up anger bubbling inside him.

"YOU EITHER TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG OR I DON'T THINK IM READY TO BE YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE BECAUSE IM TIRED OF PEOPLE SHUTTING ME OUT,"

Josh remained silent, his glance dazing off towards the side, unable to say any words, his mind processing what was being screamed at him.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you," Josh whispered back, breaking the tension, pressing his tongue against his teeth and sighing.

"Are you..." Peter stuttered, his eyes open wide, complete shock washing over his face at that moment.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Do you think this is some kind of sick joke?" 

"I'm serious, Peter..." Josh replied.

"No," Peter said, putting his foot down, a steadfast tone accompanying his words.

"You know what?"

"I'm done,"

"I'm done caring about people who don't deserve it," he said, raising his hands in the air as if to give up.

"For all I care at this point you can do whatever you want,"

"I don't give a shit, You're on your own now,"

"Fuck you," Peter muttered with gritted teeth, followed by an awkward silence and him leaving the hallway.

Josh sighed, an anticlimactic air filling the room, not knowing how to continue.

"I don't think I can do this anymore," he sighed to himself in near disbelief at what had just happened.

The students walked down to the Maths room, where the 2nd period would take place.

Josh walked into the classroom, stood at the door, his eyes scanning across the entire room to see any familiar faces before they stopped dead in their tracks at Hunter.

He ran up to him, before grabbing him by the collar and staring at him face-to-face.

"What the fuck did you do exactly?" Josh sneered at him through gritted teeth, attempting to lay low so other students wouldn't hear.

"Hello to you too, Mister Blackford!" Hunter replied with a sarcastic tone, twirling his pencil in his hand, remaining oddly calm.

"I'm serious. What did you do?" Josh sneered back once again.

"Try to stop being a wild animal, let go of my collar and maybe I'll tell you," Hunter replied calmly, as usual, raising one eyebrow. This followed with Josh abruptly letting go of him, and rolling his eyes.

"I told you. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy, that's it," Hunter sighed, rolling his own eyes.

"Cut the bullshit," Josh said, pressing his hand on the table, Hunter's glance rising across his arm.

"I need to know exactly what happened after school," he continued.

Hunter smiled, closing his eyes and exhaling.

"I honestly don't know what you're so worked up about. You wanted him gone..."

...

"And I got rid of him for you,"

Josh's eyes squinted slightly, tilting his head to the side, an expected moment of shock turning in to pure confusion.

"Listen to me," Josh said, sitting down next to Hunter almost cautiously.

"If you tell me what happened I put my hand on the fucking bible I will not tell a living soul," He whispered.

"And?" Hunter said, near impatiently, raising an eyebrow.

"But if you keep quiet about this, I won't, to say the very least," Josh continued.

"I will tell Principal Tournier everything I know and your ass will be put in jail,"

"So you better speak up and tell me every detail if you don't want to see the police banging at your door any time soon," he added.

"But here's the problem," Hunter said, cupping his hands together.

"You spoke too soon,"

"Since I haven't actually  _told_ you what I did yet," He added.

"So I could have you murdered right now and nobody would know," He spoke quietly, a slightly malicious smile creeping onto his face.

"You're trying to be all Sherlock Holmes and blackmail me into hearing what you want to hear but that's not quite how things work," he said.

"It doesn't take a bloody quantum mechanic to figure out you'll quite clearly go the police with what I'm telling you right now,"

"So I propose a deal," He said.

Josh remained in heavy shock, keeping silent while having so much to say.

"If you tell anyone and I mean a single fucking soul about this conversation or any detail in it then you'll be dead within the hour and it can't be traced back to me," He whispered loudly.

"But if you keep your mouth zipped, I will protect you," He said, smiling once again.

"Protect me?" Josh said, glancing off to the side.

"Case in point, Kai Okostavic, your face. He did that to your face. And now itty bitty 'Printhipol Thorniuhhh' is doing a schoolwide assembly regarding his death,"

"Do you get where I'm going with this?" Hunter said, sighing.

"You're essentially saying I shut up or die, then," Josh replied.

"Not quite, no," Hunter said.

"So couldn't I literally go to the police right now, tell them about this entire conversation and you'll be in prison and then it's a win for me?" Josh said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think you remember, Josh, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. I'm not the one doing the killing, you put me in jail and I'll have your entire family dead within 24 hours," Hunter added.

"If anything, I'm being rather nice to you. Because I think you're a really cool guy," he said, smiling more pleasantly this time.

"I _could_ have just threatened you and said that if you tell anyone then you're dead and no negotiations, but I'm actually trying to help you out here, mate," he added.

"But I want to keep you safe, mate,"

Josh kept silent throughout the whole ordeal, failing to say a word.

"Okay," Josh said.

"It's a deal," he finalized.

"Class, I'd like to begin please!" said Miss Taylor, the maths teacher to the whole class, silencing the two boys and the rest.

 

 


	6. Mathematics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet and intense Maths class brings forth further tensions between Josh, Hunter and Peter.

"What IS Maths?" The teacher asked, 30 bored pairs of eyes darted towards her.

"I believe Maths is the science of Quantity, Arrangement and Shapes." she continued, attempting to gain the enthusiasm of the students.

"Maths is everywhere around us..."

"Without maths, the world simply COULD NOT GO ON!" she said, her eyes widening.

"Maths is in everything we do, the houses we build require maths. The smartphones you use and the social medias like Facebook and Twitter, the games like Candy Crush and Clash of Clans that you like to play. They ALL took Mathematics to make!" She said, trying to wake the students up but failing.

An awkward silence was created, as the teacher was finding the words to say, boredom and disinterest filling the room.

"Have you ever wondered how your tablets and smartphones know where you're pressing when you tap a button? Like, how does my phone know when I'm pressing the top of the screen or the bottom, the left side or the right? And how does it know how to respond to that?"

"Well, that's essentially what I'm here to teach to you today. Behold, the functional graph." She said, drawing a large plus sign on the whiteboard with little lines drawn on the big lines.

Behind Josh and Hunter sat Peter, his head pressed against the desk, a lifeless stare in his eyes, stripped of all emotion.

"Has anyone ever seen one of these before?" she asked, a plastic smile plastered on her face, as if the entire thing was scripted in a way.

"You, at the back!" she said, tip-toeing and pointing her finger over to Peter.

Peter's head slowly moved upwards, his lifeless eyes remained. He made a quick glance over to Josh and then over to the teacher. The students moved their heads towards him, Josh looking around worriedly, not knowing what to say

"Yes, you! What's your na--"

"No, Mrs Taylor. I have not seen a functional graph before," Peter sighed, a monotone voice accompanying the short sentence, the lifeless appearance accompanying not only his eyes but his words. He returned his head to the table as if nothing had happened, an audible sigh heard from Josh.

"What's up with him?" Hunter whispered over to Josh, raising an eyebrow.

"You. You're what's up with him." Josh sighed, cupping his hands and staring down at the table.

"What??" Hunter asked, lowering the eyebrow back down and appearing worried yet curious simultaneously.

"I just want to thank you, Hunter." Josh sighed again. Hunter kept up the curious appearance.

"Thank you so much for not only ridding me of my best friend since 3rd grade who now effectively wants nothing to do with me, but for trapping me in a cycle where if I tell anyone about anything you've done then I'm going to be dead along with everyone else in this world who loves me. Thank you very much for that, I appreciate it." He continued, trailing off and tearing up towards the end. Hunter was left speechless, he returned his head over to look at the teacher as if nothing had happened, but a clear feeling of guilt cloaked him after these words.

"Alright then." The teacher attempted to continue, but the awkwardness of the situation made this near impossible.

"As I was saying, this is a functional graph..." 

Josh sighed and turned his back over towards Peter, laying his head down on his table, facing him, laying his head down too to recreate the way Peter looked. "I know you really don't want to hear my voice and you hate me right now but...." Josh sighed, his voice muffled through his sleeves.

"I'm so sorry about this...." he continued, tearing up, and turning back to his desk.

As if almost out of nowhere, Peter stood up, the squeak of his chair across the floor breaking the mood of the room. He walked out of the room, his backpack accompanying him.

"Excuse me, Where are you goi--" The teacher attempted to say but was immediately cut off by the door slam.

"Class, I don't know what's going on today, but if this grungy mood continues into the next lesson I am going to have to take very serious action and talk to your homeroom teacher. Now sit up straight and pay attention, all of you," she said sternly, putting her foot down, followed by many students raising their heads and shuffling in their chairs to straighten their posture.

"Miss Taylor," Josh said quietly, raising his hand.

"Yes, what is it?" she replied, almost impatiently.

"Could I use the bathroom, please?" he continued.

"Fine, but be very quick so you don't miss anything," the teacher added, pointing to her watch and tapping it.

Josh ran out of the classroom into the hallway, calling for Peter's name, echoing through the corridors.

"Peter! Please, talk to me!" he shouted, tearing up slightly.

He stumbled upon Peter standing at a nearby window, his side pressed against the wall, his head held down.

"Peter, please talk to m--"

"I don't want to hear it, Josh, I really don't," Peter sighed, breathing slightly heavily, cutting Josh off.

"Peter, please..." Josh cried.

"Josh," Peter said, his eyes widening slightly.

"Get out," he fumed, his breathing even heavier.

"Peter, I.." Josh attempted to speak, not before Peter immediately jumped up and stared at him.

"I said **GET OUT**!" Peter screamed, clawing Josh in the face, leaving red scratches on his nose and cheeks, his heavy breathing now making him pump up and down, the adrenaline of the situation rushing through him.

Josh pressed his hands up against his face, the unpleasant sting now being felt past the shock of the moment, slight bloody streaks coating his hands, his tears enhancing the pain.

Peter stared as Josh limped back to the classroom, entering the room with his head held down.

Josh sat back down in his chair, lifeless himself, dropping his head on the table, saying no words.

"Are you alright?" Hunter whispered to him, his breath warming Josh's ear gently.

No reply was heard, but the hatred towards Hunter was visible.

"Josh?" Hunter asked, worryingly.

"Shut the fuck up, Hunter," Josh moaned, his voice muffled through his shirt, yet audible enough for the teacher to hear.

"Hunter? What's going on here?" The teacher asked, pausing her lecture, visible confusion on her face.

"I don't know, Mrs Taylor! I truly don't know," Hunter said, almost sarcastically yet remaining serious.

"Josh? What's happened?" Mrs Taylor asked with an almost genuinely concerned tone.

No reply was heard.

"Josh, talk to me, please," she said, kneeling down infront of Josh and placing her hand on his arm.

"I can't," Josh sighed, his voice still muffled. Hunter said no words but stared at Josh with a strangely malicious grin.

"What do you mean?" the teacher asked, now genuinely worried.

"I don't know," he continued.

The teacher sighed, letting go of Josh and walking back to the front. 

"Good boy," Hunter smiled at Josh, stroking his back.

"No," Josh whispered back to him, as he stood up and walked out of the classroom, leaving no trace behind him.

"Josh, where are you going honey?" the teacher asked, before once again being cut off by the door slam.

Josh stormed to where Peter was originally sitting and sat down next to him.

"Peter, I don't give a fuck anymore, but you need to listen to me for a second," Josh said, breathing heavily, staring Peter dead in the eyes.

"Go on," Peter sighed, staring at the floor, acknowledging Josh's existence yet not looking back at him.

"But you need to swear that you will never tell anyone what I'm about to tell you or we and our families will all be dead," Josh continued. Peter snapped out of his trance and stared Josh back into the eyes, as if signalling that they were friends again.

"I..." Josh said, stuttering slightly.

"I know who murdered Kai Okostavic,".

 


End file.
